Two-year emissions offsetting – how do wind farms do it?

An eye-opening study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand examines how onshore wind farms can reduce their environmental impact and improve efficiency. Interestingly, the report highlights that today’s system could offset greenhouse gas emissions in just two years. Here’s what you need to know.

Research on the sustainable development of wind farms

The peer-reviewed study examined the life cycle of these devices. The team considered all aspects of wind turbines, including the manufacture, supply, installation, maintenance and decommissioning of these units. The goal was to identify inefficiencies and see how they could be reduced, if not eliminated, in the future.

The study was conducted in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, at the Harapaki onshore wind farm. This location was ideal because its setup is similar to most land operations around the world. Therefore, it enabled researchers to obtain the most relevant data based on their efforts.

The Harapaki Wind Farm consists of 41 operational onshore wind turbines. These units have been found to produce all the energy needed for their entire life cycle in approximately 6 months. Additionally, research has shown that an average wind farm leaves a carbon footprint of 10.8 gCO2eq/kWh. The results indicate that wind farms can offset their life cycle carbon footprint within 2 years. Interestingly, combined gas turbine units were found to complete this task in 1.7 years.

Production

Digging into the data reveals that production is one of the main contributors to the carbon footprint of onshore wind farms. Creating modern, high-performance components for onshore wind farms is a labor- and material-intensive process. These devices require purpose-built machinery and may use state-of-the-art composites to reduce weight. These factors increase the costs and environmental impact of these devices.

Installation

It may come as a surprise that transporting wind farms to the site is one of the largest expenses. Specifically, the report shows that delivering these large components to their destination could consume +10% of the device’s total carbon emissions. The process of bringing large wind farms into place uses large trucks and cranes that are not geared towards sustainability.

Wind farm decommissioning

Decommissioning large wind turbines is another costly and environmentally burdensome task examined. Scientists found that decommissioning wind farms often increased carbon footprints. Notably, in Harapaksa, 41 units were decommissioned, but serviceable blades were refurbished.

Regeneration of blades using mechanical and chemical methods significantly reduces production emissions. Scientists predict that this simple adjustment could potentially reduce emissions from 10.8 gCO2eq to a potential 9.7.

Scientists

This report was authored by lead author Isabella Pimentel Pincelli from the Sustainable Energy Systems Research Group in the Wellington Faculty of Engineering at the University of Te Herenga Waka Victoria in Wellington. Additionally, Professor Alan Brent, Head of Sustainable Energy Systems at Wellington, co-authored the research paper.

Wind is leading the way as the smartest renewable energy option

Wind farms are now seen by many as the ideal renewable energy solution. These devices can provide power 24/7 if placed in a windy environment. In addition, they can be stationed on land or at sea, or even in urban environments on top of buildings.

Wind farms provide higher efficiency

The creation of wind farms is not a coincidence. Over the past few years, there has been a lot of research highlighting the benefits of wind structures. For example, wind farms increase the efficiency of solar farms by up to 20%. Studies have shown that the best solar panels produce 23% of usable electricity, while wind turbines can achieve 40% of energy production.

Battery solutions to improve wind farms

Batteries are another key element of the renewable energy sector that is often overlooked. The introduction of faster charging, more reliable and affordable batteries has helped increase the use of renewable energy sources. It also helps reduce overall operating costs.

More efficient batteries could reduce the load on wind turbines. They could also enable more smart grids. These systems are able to take stored energy and trade it, sell it or use it as needed to improve stability.

Wind energy is not perfect

There is no perfect solution to global energy demand. Wind power, among other sustainable energy options, can provide some help, but not enough to completely replace fossil fuel power generation.

It is worth noting that one of the obstacles to the large-scale implementation of wind farms is maintenance costs. The average person is not aware of the damage that the tip of a wind turbine propeller receives. Wind can destroy the edge of these propellers, making them much less efficient. Unfortunately, replacing these units is not cheap, and given delivery and installation times, a wind turbine may be down for months to repair a single propeller.

Wind energy is a good solution for communities, but it has not found a suitable niche in individual country markets. These units are not profitable enough for the homeowner to invest in them. As a result, little research and products have been conducted for small-scale wind farms.

Animals suffer

Wind turbines can also disrupt local ecosystems and wildlife. These large wind intercepting units can produce strong gusts that can cause birds to veer off course or even collide with propellers. Studies have shown that hundreds of birds die every year on every major wind farm.

Additionally, the noise produced by these large mechanical devices may cause discomfort to the surroundings. In addition to human complaints, bats may lose their ability to echolocate, leaving these animals lost and unable to find their homes. As such, there is a strong movement to try to solve these problems.

Other breakthroughs in wind farm technology

Wind farms have made significant progress that has made them a leading option for renewable energy production. AI computer modeling and other technological breakthroughs continue to improve efficiency and production.

Curved blades

An innovative team at Knight and Carver’s Wind Blade Division in National City, California, worked with researchers at the Department of Energy’s Sandia National Laboratories to improve the propeller design and increase its efficiency. The Sweep Twist Adaptive Rotor (STAR) blade has been shown to increase efficiency by 12%. The secret to its increased efficiency is the slightly curved tip. Scientists used computer modeling to perfectly create a curve that maximized energy production.

Simulators

Computer simulations are playing an increasingly important role in the development and implementation of wind farms. These systems allow engineers to pressure test new concepts without having to directly create the units. This strategy lowers costs and enables engineers to push their creations to the limits of performance.

Smart energy networks

Smart grids are one of the technologies that excites renewable energy engineers. These systems can monitor and transmit energy and data in real time to increase efficiency. Today’s most advanced power grid solutions leverage artificial intelligence options to deliver the best possible results. In the future, these solutions will make it even easier to share unused energy and secure rewards.

The best companies producing wind farms

The wind farm market has experienced significant growth over the past decade. Advances in composite materials and propeller design have made the production of these devices more efficient and cost-effective. Here are some of the top wind farm manufacturers worth keeping an eye on.

The energy of the next era

NextEra Energy is considered one of the top producing renewable wind energy platforms. The company has a broad range of renewable energy products covering the entire market, including wind and solar power.

NextEra can generate 21,900 megawatts of electricity in the United States and Canada. This power is generated using clean renewable energy sources, making the company a pioneering force in the sustainability sector. As part of this strategy, the company has worked hard to ensure interoperability.

NEE is a popular stock that has made a significant recovery from losses earlier in the year. This is a strong buy and a valuable addition to any portfolio. NEE has a market capitalization of $156.80 billion, which is expected to grow with the growing solar and wind sectors.

Brookfield Renewable Corp.

Canadian renewable energy producer Brookfield Renewable is based in New York and was founded in September 2019. The company has various renewable stations that use wind, solar and geothermal energy to power their communities.

BEPC stock has a market capitalization of $7.5 billion and has a one-year yield of 3.92%. This stock is a smart addition to your portfolio, as the company reported revenues of $4.75 billion in its most recent earnings results. Due to the expansion of Brookfield Renewable Corp’s international network, there is great growth potential.

Wind farms are a smart solution

Wind farms can eliminate people’s dependence on fossil fuels. These useful devices produce energy efficiently and can be placed anywhere that meets wind requirements. These factors and recent improvements in the production process have made wind farms more attractive. In the future, these units may power your home or business.

Find out about other interesting sustainability solutions projects here.